Curtain wall



Nov. 6, 1962 A. l. GEYSER 3,062,339

CURTAIN WALL Filed Aug. 22, 1961. 5' Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR. AA 8597 1'. 657551? 3 SheetsSheet 3 A. l. GEYSER CURTAIN WALL Nov. 6, 1962 Filed Aug. 22, 1961 Pig. 5

United States Patent 3,062,339 CURTAIN WALL Albert I. Geyser, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to E. K. Geyser Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Aug. 22, 1961, Set. No. 133,224 10 Claims. (Cl. 189-34) This invention relates to the outside walls of buildings, including houses, and more particularly to curtain walls formed from panels joined and supported by metal rails or supporting the rails.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide a curtain wall, in which non-load-bearing metal bars are readily supported, in which metal rails can be quickly attached to the bars for holding panels, in which the various metal members are quickly and easily locked in place, and in which short panels can be mounted beside longer panels.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view of a curtain wall seen from the outside;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary detail, partly broken away in section, of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are enlarged fragmentary vertical sections taken on the lines III--III and IV--IV, respectively, of FIG. 1; and

FIGS. 5 to 8 are enlarged fragmentary horizontal sec tions taken on the lines VV to VIII-VIII, respectively, in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, part or all of a side wall of a building or dwelling may be formed from a curtain wall that is transparent, translucent, opaque or a combination of them. Of course, the wall may contain fixed units, or units such as projected sash to provide ventilation. For the purpose of this description, the illustrated wall is partly opaque and partly provided with windows. The wall opening in which the curtain wall is mounted is framed in any suitable manner by wood or masonry 1. At suitable intervals across the inside of the opening, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 8, there are loadbearing wooden studs 2 that support the curtain wall. The latter includes vertical metal bars 3 screwed or bolted to the outer faces of the wooden studs. Each bar, preferably an aluminum extrusion, has an outwardly opening channel 4 extending from top to bottom and formed from a back or web, from which side flanges extend outward. The back of the bar has laterally projecting extensions 5. As shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, each side of the bar inside channel 4 is provided near its outer edge with a pair of laterally projecting vertical ribs 6 and 7, between which slots 8 are formed. The outer ribs 7 project beyond the inner ones and have inwardly projecting lips 9 with inclined surfaces.

Each vertical bar 3 has notches 10 (FIGS. 6 and 7) in its outer face at suitably spaced intervals to receive horizontal metal rails 11 that preferably are substantially H- shape in cross section to form upper and lower channels 12 and 13. Most of the rails extend entirely across the wall opening. If the opening is narrow, a single rail may extend entirely across it, but in most cases there will be two or more rails placed end to end with their adjacent ends spaced a short distance apart in front of a vertical bar 3. To hold the rails in place, clamps 14 are provided where the rails cross the bars, as shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5. Each clamp is T-shape in horizontal section and has the opposite ends of its crossbar slidably mounted in the slots 8 of a vertical bar 3 so that the clamp can be moved up and down the bar to the desired elevation. The stem of the clamp extends outward and has a vertical notch 15 in its top or bottom for receiving the inner bottom flange or top flange of the adjoining rail in order to hold the rail against the bar. Preferably, the outer wall of each notch is inclined outwardly to produce a wedging effect on the rail as the clamp is moved vertically into position. The clamps that are above the rails will generally stay in place by gravity, but those below the rails may be held up against them by upsetting slivers of metal from the bars directly beneath the clamps. If desired, the upper clamps can be held down positively in the same way.

Extending between the upright bars and along the backs of the rails there may be horizontal bar-like supports 17, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the outer edges of which may be turned down and supported in horizontal recesses 18 in the backs of the rails. The inner edges of these supports may be supported by striking out detents 19 from the web extensions 5 of the bars.

The joints between the ends of rails in any row are concealed by joint covers that are slidably mounted in the vertical bars in the same way as the clamps 14. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, each joint cover has a back plate 21 slidably mounted in bar slots 8. From the center of the back plate a stem 22 extends outward between the ends of the adjacent rails. The outer end of the stem is integrally connected to the center of a trim plate 23 that overlaps the outer surfaces of the rail ends. The joint covers also clamp the ends of the rails against the upright bars.

Panels are mounted in the rectangular areas formed by the crossed bars 3 and rails 11. All of the panels may be made from the same material or from different mate rials. If glass, they can all be transparent or some can be translucent or opaque. A mixture of transparent and opaque glass panels is shown, the transparent panels 25 being windows. The opaque panels are indicated at 26. Each panel or light of glass is put in place by raising it up into the bottom channel 13 of the rail above it and then swinging its lower end inward and lowering it into the upper channel 12 of the rail below it. Preferably, the panels rest on small blocks 27 disposed in the upper channels of the rails. Before a panel is put in place, resilient gaskets 28 are attached to the inner flanges of the rails and to the side flanges of the vertical bars. This can be done by providing the gaskets, rails and bars with interengaging tongues and grooves. After a panel has been set in the rails and pressed against the gaskets, other gaskets 29 are forced in between the outer flanges of the rails and the panels. The side edges of the panels are then covered by vertical trim strips that are installed from the outside of the wall.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, each trim strip 31 is T- shape in horizontal section, with the stem of the T provided with an inwardly opening vertical slot 32 extending from top to bottom of the strip. The trim strip, therefore, can straddle the outer ends of clamps 14. The strips are held in place by screws 33 extending inwardly through their central portions and threaded into anchor members 34 projecting from slots 32 as shown in FIG. 8. Each anchor member is T -shape in horizontal section with its stem slidably disposed in slot 32 and bifurcated to separate the bar of the T into two parts that can be pressed close enough together to be inserted between the outer ribs 7 of a vertical bar 3. When the fastening screw is screwed farther into the anchor member, it spreads the two parts of that member apart so that they will overlap the lips 9 of the ribs and then be pulled outward into locking engagement with the ribs as the screw is tightened. Before the screws are pulled up tight, side gaskets 35 are inserted between the trip strip and the panels behind it. At the sides of the window opening,

Patented Nov. 6, 1962 the outer edges of the trim strips engage wooden strips 36 disposed between them and the upright bars as shown in FIG. 5.

The wall can be insulated behind opaque glass panels 26 by first inserting insulating panels 37 in the rectangular openings, when they will rest on horizontal supports 17. These panels are held in place against the outer faces of bar extensions by means of spring clips 38 of the shape shown in FIGS. 5 to 8. The outer ends of the slips are retained in vertical grooves 39 in the adjacent sides of vertical bars 3.

It often is desirable to divide one or more of the large rectangular spaces formed by the crossed rails and bars into two or more smaller rectangles to reduce the size of a window. This can be done, as shown in FIG. 1, by simply using a rail 4t) that is only long enough to extend between two upright bars 3 and partly overlap each of them. It will be seen that the short rail must not overlap the barsfar enough to interfere with insertion of the taller panels at the opposite ends of the rail. Therefore, there is a small space between the adjacent ends of the short vertical trim strips 41 where the marginal portion of the panel would be exposed. To cover that portion and the joint between it and the adjoining end of the short rail, a two-part joint cover is used. From the outside of the window this cover looks the same as the other joint covers, except for a central vertical line where the two parts of the cover meet.

As shown in FIG. 7, one part of the cover has a back plate 42 slidably mounted in the bar slots 8, an outwardly extending portion 43 extending across the end of the short rail 40, and a laterally extending outer plate 44 overlapping the outer surface of the rail. If the outer plate of the cover also overlapped the edge of the tall panel beside it, it would be impossible to put the panel in place. That is why the cover is made in two parts, with the second part insertable after the panel has been installed. The second part is L-shape and has an outer plate 46 overlapping the panel and directly engaging the side gasket 35. The inwardly extending leg 47 of the joint cover is provided with an enlarged inner end that is slidable vertically in a vertical dovetail groove 48 in the back plate/42 of the other part of the cover. After the panel in question has been installed, the second part of the joint cover can be inserted above the first part and then moved down to connect the two parts together by means of the leg and groove. Preferably, the outer plates of the two parts are provided with an interengaging vertical tongue and groove 49 to help keep the two parts aligned. This split cover is also useful at jamb lines where the curtain wall may adjoin other construction Which is engaged by the curtain wall in a fashion similar to panel engagement.

This curtain wall also can be used in the absence of studs, where the load above the wall opening is supported in some other manner. In such a case the ends of vertical bars 3 are attached to the top and bottom of the opening.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle of my invention and have illustrated anddescribed what I now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. A curtain wall comprising a plurality of horizontally spaced vertical metal bars, each bar being provided with an outwardly opening channel extending from top to bottom, a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal metal rails engaging the outer sides of said bars, each rail being provided with upper and lower channels, vertically slidable clamps mounted in the bar channels and having portions projecting outward therefrom provided with vertical notches receiving the inner flanges of the rail chan- 4 nels to hold the rails against the bars and panels having upper and lower edges mounted in said rail channels and having side edges overlapping the bars.

2. A curtain wall according to claim 1, including a row of wooden studs, and means fastening said metal bars to the outer faces of the studs to support the bars.

3. A curtain wall according to claim 1, in which the outer sides of the vertical bars are provided with recesses receiving the rails.

4. A curtain wall according to claim 1, including vertical trim strips overlapping said panel side edges between said rails.

5. A curtain wall comprising a plurality of horizontally spaced vertical metal bars, each bar being provided with an outwardly opening channelextending from top to bottom, a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal metal rails engaging the outer sides of said bars, each rail being provided with upper and lower channels, vertically slidable clamps mounted in the bar channels and having portions projecting outward therefrom provided with vertical notches receiving the inner flanges ofthe rail channels to hold the rails against the bars, panels with upper and lower edges mounted in said rail channels and with side edges overlapping the bars, vertical trim strips overlapping said panel side edges between the rails, anchor members disposed in said bar channels, and fasteners extending through the trim strips and into the anchor members to hold the trim strips in place.

6. A curtain wall according to claim 5, in which each bar is provided interiorly with a pair of laterally spaced vertical ribs, and each of said anchor members is bifurcated and compressible laterally for insertion between a pair of said panels and between a pair of said ribs behind them, each anchor member having at its outer end a central fastener-receiving opening, and said fasteners extending into the anchor members far enough to expand them into engagement with said ribs to prevent withdrawal from the bars.

7. A curtain wall comprising a plurality of horizontally spaced vertical metal bars, each bar being provided with an outwardly opening channel extending from top to bottom, a plurality of horizontal metal rails engaging the outer sides of said bars and arranged invertically spaced rows with their ends overlapping some of the bars, each rail beingprovided with upper and lower channels, vertically slidable clamps mounted in the bar channels and having portions projecting outward therefrom provided with vertical notches receiving the inner flanges of the rail channels to hold the rails against the bars, vertically slidable joint covers mounted in said some of the bars and having portions extending out between the ends of the adjoining rails and overlapping the outer faces of said ends, and panels having upper and lower edges mounted in said rail channels and having side edges overlapping the bars.

8. A curtain wall comprising a plurality of horizontally spaced vertical metal bars, each bar being provided with an outwardly opening channel extending from top to bottom, a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal metal rails engaging the outer sides of said bars, each rail being provided with upper and lower channels, vertically slidable clamps mounted in the bar channels and having portions projecting outward therefrom provided with vertical notches receiving the inner flanges of the rail channels to hold the rails against the bars, panels with upper and lower edges mounted in said rail channels and with side edges overlapping the bars, an end of at least one of said rails partly overlapping a bar at the side thereof opposite the central portion of a panel likewise overlapping that bar, a vertically slidable joint cover mounted in said last-mentioned bar and formed in two parts, one of said parts having portions extending outward across said end of said rail and overlapping the outer face of that end, the other part of said joint cover being slidable vertically from locking engagement with the first part and havinga portion overlapping the adjoining side edge of said panel, beside said rail end, and vertical trim strips above and below said joint cover overlapping the side edge of said panel.

9. A curtain wall comprising a plurality of horizontally spaced vertical metal bars, each bar being provided with an outwardly opening channel extending from top to bottom, a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal metal rails engaging the outer sides of said bars, each rail being provided with upper and lower channels, means fastening the rails to the bars, panels having upper and lower edges mounted in said rail channels and having side edges overlapping the bars, an end of at least one of said rails partly overlapping a bar at the side thereof opposite the central portion of a panel likewise overlapping that bar, a vertically slidable joint cover mounted in said lastmentioned bar and formed in two parts, one of said parts having portions extending outward across said end of said rail and overlapping the outer face of that end, and other part of said joint cover being disposed beside the first part and having a portion overlapping the adjoining side edge of said panel beside said rail end, said other part of the joint cover being slidable vertically relative to the first part to free it therefrom.

10. A curtain wall comprising a plurality of horizontally spaced vertical metal bars, each bar being provided with an outwardly opening channel extending from top to bottom, a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal metal rails engaging the outer sides of said bars, each rail being provided with upper and lower channels, means fastening the rails to the bars, panels having upper and lower edges mounted in said rail channels and having side edges overlapping the bars, an end of at least one of said rails partly overlapping a bar at the side thereof opposite the central portion of a panel likewise overlapping that bar, a joint cover formed in two parts, one of said parts having an inner portion slidably mounted in said last-mentioned bar and having an outwardly facing dove-tail slot extending vertically therethrough and also having portions extend ing outward across said end of said rail and overlapping the outer face of that end, and the other part of said joint cover being disposed beside said portions and having one portion overlapping the adjoining side edge of said panel and having another portion extending inwardly and provided with an enlarged inner end in said slot holding said parts together but slidable vertically in the slot to separate the parts if desired.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,632,534 Gray Mar. 24, 1953 2,660,050 Hosbein et al. Nov. 24, 1953 2,847,849 Reintjes Aug. 19, 1958 2,885,040 Grossman May 5, 1959 2,976,970 Toney Mar. 28, 1961 2,996,845 Cipriani et al Aug. 26, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,163,238 France Apr. 21, 1958 

